 Wootton with the Chicago Bears in 2011 | |||||||||||||
| No. 98, 99 | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Defensive end | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | (1987-06-22)June 22, 1987 (age 37) Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 270 lb (122 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, New Jersey) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Northwestern | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2010: 4th round, 109th pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Corey Andrew Wootton (born June 22, 1987) is an American former professionalfootballdefensive end who played in theNational Football League (NFL). He played college football atNorthwestern University. As a junior, he garnered first-teamAll-Big Ten Conference honors. He was selected by theChicago Bears in the fourth round of the2010 NFL draft. He has also played for theMinnesota Vikings andDetroit Lions.
Born inRutherford, New Jersey, Wootton played high school football atDon Bosco Preparatory High School inRamsey, New Jersey.[1]
Wootton chose Northwestern overConnecticut,Louisville andN.C. State.[2] During his Freshman season, Wootton got a medical hardship year for 2005 and only played in three of first four games before being sidelined the remainder of the year with a neck injury.
In 2006, he was the first Northwestern player sinceHudhaifa Ismaeli (1995) to accomplish every major defensive statistic in a single season and the team's seventh-leading tackler and leader in sacks and leader in Tackles for loss.[3] At the end of the season, Wootton earned aFootball Writers Association of America (FWAA) Freshman All-American selection[4] and was named to theSporting News FreshmanAll-Big Ten team.[5]
In 2007, Wootton finished second on the team with 7.0 Tackles for loss and five pass deflections and second among defensive linemen with 39 tackles.[6][7]
Wootton entered the 2010 NFL draft and was selected 109th overall in the fourth round by the Chicago Bears.[8] During a game against theMinnesota Vikings on December 20, 2010, Wootton recorded his first career sack where he brought down quarterbackBrett Favre. The sack forced Favre to leave the game due to a concussion.[9] The concussion eventually sidelined Favre for the remaining two games of his final season in the NFL.[10] In Week 9 of 2012 against theTennessee Titans, Wootton scored his first career touchdown off a blocked punt, which had been blocked by former Northwestern teammateSherrick McManis.[11][12] Wootton ended the 2012 season appearing in all 16 games with seven starts and seven sacks.[13]
In 2013, after injuries sustained toHenry Melton andNate Collins, Wootton was shifted todefensive tackle in week five against theNew Orleans Saints.[14]
On March 20, 2014, it was reported Wootton had signed a one-year deal with theMinnesota Vikings.[15]
On May 14, 2015, Wootton signed a one-year deal with theDetroit Lions.[16]
On July 26, 2016, Wootton announced onTwitter that he was retiring from the NFL after playing six seasons.[17]
Following his retirement, Wootton provides football coverage forFox Chicago and theBig Ten Network.[18]